


I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

by Every_Day_Im_Hufflin



Series: Doing the Right Thing [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hydra Peter Parker, Orphan Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28268145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Every_Day_Im_Hufflin/pseuds/Every_Day_Im_Hufflin
Summary: After Tony adopts Peter and promptly almost forgets about Christmas, Tony is determined to make the kid's Christmas an unforgettable one.___________________________Aka 3,500 words of Christmas fluff. Can be read separately from my other work!
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Doing the Right Thing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2070870
Comments: 4
Kudos: 149





	I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot sequel to my previous work "Doing the Right Thing?" but can also be read separate from it (only thing you need to know is the Tony adopted Peter recently after he had been held by Hydra for 10 years). Hope you enjoy!

Like most of the momentous events in Tony’s life, it starts with a question. “So you finished wrapping Peter’s presents yet?” Pepper asked, leaning up against the kitchen counter as she dipped her cracker into the hummus, glancing over at her fiancée. 

“Hmmm,” Tony hummed back as he failed to look up at the woman, working through a particular tricky line of code. 

“Peter’s presents,” she repeated to him. “I got my assistant to wrap most of them from me, I can give the rest to him to finish up for you too,” she offered. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed absentmindedly, still not meeting Pepper’s gaze. 

She rolled her eyes, “Ok, so where are they then?” 

“Where’s what?” He inquired before letting out an indigent squawk as Pepper snatched the tablet out from under him, making grabby hands for it. 

“Don’t make me put this in the cell phone jail you got for Peter,” she threatened. “Peter’s gifts, where are they?” 

“He’s not turning fifteen for at least a few more months, Pep, it’s still cold outside,” he pouted confused and Pepper froze. 

“Wait you’re actually being serious now?” She asked him, shocked. Sure they had been busy, with Tony trying to finish new products and upgrades for the January investor’s meeting, Pepper supervising the drafting of the annual report and balancing various holiday obligations, and Peter constantly in and out of the Tower with his now two after school clubs (something Tony was particular smug about) on top of his Spidermanning, but Tony couldn’t have forgotten, right? “Peter’s Christmas presents,” she clarified for him. 

“I still have time,” he waved her off before reaching for the tablet again. 

“It’s December 21st, Tony,” she snapped at him, moving the tablet well out of reach from him. 

“Funny joke, Pep.” 

The woman rolled her eyes before sliding her phone across the counter to show him that it was indeed the date, “You forgot,” she stated bluntly. 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the phone as if examining a new element. “It’s still in London time,” he pointed out to her. 

“That doesn’t mean that it isn’t also the 21st in London! You’re telling me you’ve gotten him nothing so far?” 

“Well you’re the one who’s supposed to remind me on these things,” Tony argued, his voice on the edge of panic as he started to pace the length of the kitchen. 

“He’s your kid, Tony!” She argued back. “And I thought that the 40 foot tree in the lobby would be reminder enough.” 

“I barely leave the penthouse. Besides, you picked out his gifts last year,” Tony pointed out. 

“Because neither of us really knew what to get him last year and we just used Christmas to buy him more clothes and school supplies because he stopped accepting things, remember?” The redhead reminded him. “But now you’re his,” she gestured vaguely at him. “Primary caregiver at the very least, so Christmas is squarely in your court. You didn’t think the platters of Christmas cookies I brought home were a bit suspicious?” She interrogated him. 

“The kid eats most of them when he comes back from patrol, not me,” he raised his hands in defense. 

“So he hasn’t said anything to you about it?” Pepper asked him curiously, finally making the connection about the zero decorations around the house, starting to text her assistant to pick up some last minute decorations for the penthouse. 

“Is he supposed to say something to me?” Tony asked hesitantly, feeling completely out of his depth. It always felt like a roller coaster with raising Peter. Not anything to do with the kid himself. He was about the most easy going person that Tony had ever been around, but he knew that Peter deserved better than a first time father messing things up.

Some days they would reach a breakthrough, such as when Peter felt comfortable enough talking to Tony about the lingering distance between him and his newly reunited Aunt whenever he visited her for dinner. Other days, Tony felt like he was short circuiting, such as when Peter asked Tony for advice on asking a crush to Homecoming (Tony just stared at him for a solid five minutes as he had never expressed any sort of an interest in dating). 

This was one of the times when Tony felt he was short circuiting. Kids Peter’s age didn’t still believe in Santa, right? Tony thought he stopped believing when he was four years old. Most of his Christmas memories were stuffy galas, which he had promptly avoided when he went off to college. 

“Did he give you a list or something of what he wants?” Pepper paused Tony’s spiral. 

“Is he supposed to do that?” Tony asked skeptically since Peter never asked for anything. Even when he desperately needed something. 

“Most kids do,” she hummed back. “But if he hasn't, maybe you can talk to him tonight? No more coding, order some things you think he would like first,” Pepper handed back the tablet back to Tony. “His holiday break starts tomorrow, take some time off with him, things will get done after the new year,” she reassured him. “Maybe take him to get a tree or something?” She suggested to him. 

“You mean they don’t just magically appear?” He asked her while she just gave him an unamused look. “Kidding, kidding,” he held up his hands in defense. “A tree, I think I can handle it.” 

“Pick out some presents before he gets home, talk to him and see if he wants anything tonight, then get a tree,” she gave him his marching orders. 

“Yeah, I can do that, totally,” he nodded, swallowing his nerves. He almost messed up the kid’s Christmas. He needed to do better.

* * *

“Is everything alright, Mr. Stark?” Peter called out from where he was sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom, kicking his legs back and forth absentmindedly as he was flipping through another chemical engineering textbook. Usually he could hear everyone in the apartment which was oddly comforting. But after Tony had passed outside his bedroom door without knocking on it, he figured he’d just end the man’s misery. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony quickly reassured him, pushing open the bedroom door lingering in the door frame as he stared at the teenager. “Are you doing homework?” He asked the boy, confused. 

“Nope, this is for fun,” he showed the cover to Tony. 

“God, you’re a weird kid,” Tony teased him, while Peter pouted. “Shouldn’t you be playing video games with that friend of yours?” 

“Ned? Nah, he’s at the airport, he has like a 16 hour flight going to visit his grandparents for Christmas,” Peter flipped the page of the textbook. 

“Christmas!” Tony exclaimed while Peter just stared at him blankly. “That’s a thing coming up soon,” he observed. 

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Peter shrugged, turning his attention back to his textbook. 

“Um, are you hoping that Santa brings you anything in particular?” Tony tried casually while Peter just blinked up at him. 

“Mr. Stark, you know that I don’t really believe in Santa, right?” Peter asked skeptically. “You don’t need to pretend or anything.” 

“No, it was just a tactful way of asking if you had any last minute Christmas requests,” Tony danced around the issue, hoping that Peter didn’t catch the panic in his voice

“I think I’m good, you don’t really need to get me anything.” 

“No new video games or Legos or anything you want in particular?” Tony tried again. 

Peter shook his head again, “Nah, I mean, we don’t really need to make it a big deal or anything.” 

“What do you mean not make it a big deal? It’s Christmas,” Tony settled down on the edge of Peter’s bed. 

He shrugged again, “I didn’t really think you celebrated Christmas,” he admitted honestly. 

“Why do you think that? I’m practically Mr. Christmas,” Tony replied defensively. 

“Well last year, Ms. Potts was the one that put up a tree and had me help her decorate it,” he pointed out to him. “It’s ok, Christmas isn’t a big thing for me either. It’s just nice having the time off and seeing the lights when swinging around Queens.” 

“It isn’t a big thing? You’re a kid. Christmas is almost exclusively for you. You’ve got precious time left, and you’ve got to milk it for all it’s worth with your puppy dog eyes,” Tony argued with him. Sure he could always ignore the holiday, this time of year was always a bit difficult for him, being so close to the anniversary of his parents’ death. But Peter was a kid and deserved to be able to celebrate and capitalize on that childlike wonder advertised in the songs of the season. 

“I can’t really remember Christmas with my parents,” he pointed out to Tony. “Afterwards,” he shrugged again since it needed no explanation. It wasn’t like Hydra gave him time off for the holidays. 

Tony’s face fell even more. God he really messed this up didn’t he? He was too caught up in his work to realize that Peter hadn’t had a proper Christmas in a decade and the teenager just assumed that this was the norm. “Nope, this is unacceptable,” Tony declared. “It’s become abundantly clear that I have a new mission: catch you up on ten years of Christmases.” 

“Mr. Stark, really, you don’t need to -” he started but Tony cut him off. 

“Non-negotiable, we are going to have the most elaborate, overtop Christmas that I can offer. Prepare to be spoiled and I will demand a picture of you on Santa’s lap,” Tony started to buzz with excitement as Peter just groaned. “Get some rest, we’re waking up at 7 to get a Christmas tree,” Tony announced before bounding out of the room.

* * *

“Ms. Potts, you’ve got to save me,” Peter stumbled through the door leading to the stairs breathless, dressed in an oversized Christmas sweater, blinking with Christmas lights and matching hat. 

Pepper took one look at the panicked teenager, trying to catch his breath and she burst out in laughter. “That’s a nice sweater,” she teased him. 

“It’s so itchy,” he exclaimed, trying to loosen the collar. “Mr. Stark made me try on like 20 before he picked this out.” 

“It’s certainly very noticeable,” she smirked over at him as it had appeared that Tony had taken her advice and decided to bring a bit of Christmas into their lives. 

“It’s blinking lights, you could see this a block away!” Peter argued. “You’ve got to get your fiancée under control.” 

“Oh, so now he’s my fiancée?” Pepper continued to teased him, cherishing the moments where Peter actually acted like a kid. “I like the tree you two picked out,” she gestured to the living room. 

“We drove two hours to find a Christmas tree farm,” he exclaimed. “I’m not even sure if this was one of the available trees. I bet there’s like six squirrels in it,” he gestured to the round monstrosity that Tony had claimed as theirs and Peter had ended up dragging back to the car with the help of Tony’s gauntlet. 

“Well Tony does love taking in a stray or two around the holidays,” Pepper joked. “What have you two been up to for the rest of the day?” 

“It’s madness, Ms. Potts. We went to like 10 different stores and he added anything I looked at to our carts, and then we walked across the city to go ice skating, except neither of us can actually skate,” he rambled. “And then we went on something called a Cocoa cruise, and then more shopping,” Peter continued. “And he said he had five different Christmas lights shows for us to go to tonight. Five! You’ve got to save me,” he pleaded with her again, before his ears perked up and he ran to the wall quickly scrambling to the ceiling, hanging upside down. 

“Peter, your shoes,” Pepper exclaimed. “You’re going to leave footprints!” 

“Necessary sacrifices, I was never here,” he scrambled out the balcony doors before the elevator opened and Tony stepped out in a matching sweater, carrying eight different bags. 

“You’ve seen the kid?” He asked her, setting the bags to the side. “He wanted to race me to the Penthouse but then the little brat squirted his web shooters into the elevator, mucking up the controls. He doesn’t seem to understand the concept of the Naughty List,” he called out through the apartment where he had a high suspicion that the kid was hiding.

“Hun,” Pepper caught Tony’s wrist before he could start searching the Penthouse for the spider boy. 

“We’re on a tight schedule,” he stressed to her. 

“Maybe, we should add a bit more flexibility to that schedule,” she suggested lightly. 

“What do you mean?” He exclaimed. “You told me to bring the Christmas to him,” he placed his sunglasses on the counter. 

“I told you to get him some presents, not enter him into a Christmas marathon,” Pepper pointed out bluntly. “You know Pete, he’s happy with anything.” 

“Exactly, he shouldn’t be just settling for things because I forgot Christmas. He thought we weren’t even celebrating this year!” 

“But you don’t need to look like Christmas exploded upon you just to prove that you aren’t a Grinch to him,” Pepper stressed. “How about you take the night off?” She suggested as Tony pulled an affronted look. “I know, I know. Hear me out. You can still do Christmas stuff from home. Order some take out, catch him up on movies he’s never seen,” she suggested. “Then if you still feel like you’re lacking the Christmas spirit, you can start your marathon again tomorrow.” 

Tony paused for a moment considering Pepper’s proposition, “You know where the kid is, don’t you?” 

“I may or may not,” she shrugged, taking another sip of her tea. 

“You’re not going to tell me where he is until I agree to this?” 

“That is absolutely correct.” 

Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes. He guessed that it wouldn’t harm him too much to take the night off. He was sure the lights would still be up tomorrow if he felt like Peter was missing out. He just wanted the kid to be submerged in a true Christmas experience once before he grew up. “One night, and we’ll require some candy canes to snack on,” he bargained with Pepper. 

“I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to arrange that,” she smiled back at him before pointing to the ceiling and Peter’s incriminating footprints. 

“Again?” Tony sighed, going to get a broom. 

“He said it was a necessary sacrifice,” she quoted the teenager with a giggle. 

Tony followed the footprints out onto the balcony. “You’re not even wearing a coat!”

* * *

“Why did anyone ever think that this was a good idea?” Peter laughed as he broke off another shingle of the gingerbread house as he was sprawled out on the couch before leaning back against Tony. “More importantly, why did you insist this was a critical gap in my education?” 

“Come on it’s Santa Claus and Martians, what could be better than that?” Tony lazily replied as he was unwrapping another candy cane (raspberry flavored of course). 

“Literally every other movie.” 

“Snob,” Tony teased as he piled another blanket onto Peter’s lap. 

“I just have a refined pallet,” he argued as he reached for the frosting can, slathering the gingerbread with a generous helping of icing. 

“Sure you’ve got enough sugar there?” Tony teased as he watched Peter add a gum drop to his monstrosity of a cookie. 

“Just right,” Peter laughed as he shoved his entire creation into his mouth. “Delicious,” he declared, crumbs spilling onto the blankets. 

“Ugh, where did those manners go that you came with?” 

Peter pouted, “I’m a perfect angel and Ms. Potts tells me so and she’s always right.” 

“You’ve got just about half of that right,” Tony continued to tease him as Peter stretched out on the couch. 

“You can’t bully me, it’s almost Christmas,” he murmured as he curled up next to Tony listening to his steady heart beat. “It’s illegal or something.” 

“Well done, pulling the Christmas card, I see you’re learning quickly thanks to your fantastic mentor,” he brushed some of Peter’s curls back, feeling Peter’s warm breath against him. 

“I guess you aren’t a Grinch after all,” Peter grinned up at him. 

“Wow, I see we’re going for the really deep compliments this year,” Tony laughed before pressing a kiss to Peter’s head. “Love you kid.” 

“Love you too,” he murmured, shutting his eyes, swaddled in the pile of blankets Tony had been layering on him. If this was what Christmas was really like, he could get used to this. 

* * *

“I thought you said that we were going to cool it on the Christmas train,” Peter murmured from the passenger’s seat, bundled up in a thick winter coat and beanie, warming his hands with a travel mug of hot chocolate. He yawned, rubbing his eyes. After a late movie marathon, Peter had been planning on sleeping in until ten. So it was to his surprise when Tony had flipped on his lights at seven, coming in with a tray of pancakes, informing him that he had a half hour to get up and ready. 

“We are cooling it,” Tony defended himself. “We’re only seeing three Christmas displays tonight,” he teased Peter while the teenager gave him a withering look. “Who’s the Grinch now?” 

“Well if we’re doing that tonight, then why do we have to get up so early?” 

“You can always take a nap in the afternoon,” Tony waved him off. “Besides I had to pull some strings for this early Christmas gift.” 

“Early Christmas present?” Peter question, perking up slightly. 

“Now, you’re interested,” Tony laughed. “Yeah, I needed your input to help pick this one out, and I saw you hated crowds before.” 

“I don’t hate crowds, I live in New York,” Peter pointed out to Tony.   
“Nah, I just know your senses can go all haywire at times,” Tony agreed. “But this way you get first dibs, anyway.” 

“First dibs for what?” Peter asked curiously. 

“I’m not ruining your surprise,” Tony exclaimed while Peter just started poking his arm. 

“Come on, please, Mr. Stark. Please, please, please,” he kept poking the man over and over again trying to wear him down. 

“Stop, stop,” Tony attempted to bat away Peter’s hand while at the same time navigate them through the city. “We’re almost there, besides,” he pulled over, finding an empty parking spot. “You’ll want to leave that in the car,” he gestured to the travel mug. 

Peter hopped out of the car, immediately tucking his hands into his coat pocket as he shivered in the late December air, frost covering the trees. “Where are we?” He asked looking around the quiet street. 

Tony whistled for Peter, directing him down the street, still not revealing the surprise to the kid as they walked half a block before gesturing up at a sign. “Animal Haven?” Peter asked Tony confused while the man just grinned. “What is this place?” He asked as the windows were still dark. 

“What do you think, Pete?” Tony asked lightly, observing how the gears were turning in his head, trying to figure out their purpose of being there. 

“It looks like maybe it’s a,” he squinted inside before his face lit up. “Is this an animal shelter?” 

Tony nodded affirming the kid’s suspicions. He had seen the footage from Peter’s patrols, rescuing the strays of Queens and making sure that they had a warm home to go to. Whenever they went to the park, Peter always stopped to greet the dogs that passed them. It was clear that the kid was infatuated with them, but didn’t dare ask Tony about getting a pet of his own. “So we’re going to volunteer there or something?” He asked curiously still not fully understanding, but getting excited about the prospect of spending the morning surrounded by animals. 

“I was thinking instead that it might be your turn to give a stray a forever home,” Tony teased Peter lightly wrapping an arm around his shoulders. 

“Are you serious?” Peter questioned, starting to buzz with excitement. 

“Merry Christmas, kiddo, go pick out whoever you want,” Tony knocked on the door, having called ahead and pulled a few favors to get them into the shelter early to look around. “Dog, cat, whatever,” he offered to the teenager, letting him slip through the doorway into the warm shelter. 

Peter, quite overwhelmed with the sheer amount of choices, decided that he needed to give each potential animal a chance and he gasped when he read the first two names. “Mr. Stark, they’re named after Holiday foods! This is Mashed Potato and Gravy,” he pointed to the white and grey kittens curled up in the cage. 

Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the old orange cat named Cider. “They sure are,” he settled down in the chair, eyes glued to Peter as he started complimenting each animal he met. Yeah, Tony Stark could still bring some of that Christmas magic, he thought to himself as he watched the kid zoom around the shelter.

Luckily, the man was able to prevent Peter from adopting the whole shelter. Instead they ended up with a ginger American Staffordshire Terrier who walked with a bit of a limp but who had attached himself to Peter as soon as he was released from his cage, licking the teenager’s face and whining when they were separated, sealing Pretzel’s fate to become a Stark. 

“This is the best Christmas ever,” Peter announced from the back of the car where Pretzel was draped over his lap, dozing off. 

“You deserve it kiddo,” he grinned back at the teenager. Oh yeah, Tony Stark could definitely pull off Christmas, he thought to himself. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that chaotic Christmas fluff! I'm hoping to write one or two more one-shots in the upcoming weeks before my semester starts again, so stay tuned! I hope that y'all have a very safe holiday season!


End file.
